Flitches, or logs split longitudinally in half, are known for a variety of uses, such as to be sliced into thin layers for forming veneers for products like cabinets, doors, flooring, and furniture. To form a flitch, a log is typically first stripped of its bark using any number of methods. The stripped logs are then cut longitudinally in half. Between the bark stripping and longitudinal cutting operations, the flitches often get dirt, grime, oil, and the like from those operations coated on and partially impregnated into the outer circumferential surface of the flitch. Thus, before the flitch can be further processed, such as into slices as veneers, the flitch must be “surfaced”. By surfaced, it is meant that the dirty and/or soiled surface of the flitch is removed in order to clean the flitch.
Traditionally, workers would manually remove the outer surface of the flitch with hand-held rotary grinding tools. To improve throughput and reduce labor costs, it has been desirable to automate the process. However, these systems have been found to be overly complex, prone to mechanical failure and in need of constant repair. Additionally, it has been found that these systems remove an unnecessary amount material while surfacing a flitch which reduces the amount of the flitch that can be processed into a finished product, such as veneers. For one example, see United States Patent Publication No. 2005/0121106 (Rastatter et al.), which U.S. patent Publication is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.